


You Still Have Time

by decaffeinatedgentlemancrown



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nightmares, One Shot, Past Zack Fair/Cloud Strife, Post-Crisis Core (Compilation of FFVII), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Zack Fair, Sexuality Crisis, Zack Fair & Cloud Strife Friendship, gay Cloud Strife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25663252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/decaffeinatedgentlemancrown/pseuds/decaffeinatedgentlemancrown
Summary: Cloud has been having nightmares and knocks at Zack's door early in the morning to talk about it.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	You Still Have Time

Zack woke up to a knock at his door. He groaned and looked at the clock next to his bed. It was 3:42 AM and he had to be up at 5 for training. He groggily stepped over to the door and opened it to see a young infantryman with blonde hair looking back at him, trying to hide the fact that he had just been crying. Zack rubbed his eyes before opening the door wider.

“Come in, Cloud,” He motioned.  
“S-Sorry to bother you, again,” Cloud apologized.  
Zack threw an arm around Cloud’s shoulders and led him to the couch in the middle of the small living room.  
“Nightmares again?” Zack asked.  
Cloud nodded, looking down at the floor, embarrassed.  
“Listen, I told you I would be here for you. You’re not bothering me.”  
“I know. I just, they’ve all been the same thing and I really want someone else to know but I don’t at the same time.”  
“We can talk about it whenever you feel ready, even if you never do.”  
Cloud paused for a moment, as if he was weighing his options.  
“I’ll make us some tea.” 

Zack disappeared into the kitchen and Cloud heard the soft clanking of dishes. He’d been here a lot lately. The nightmares started about a month ago and had only gotten worse. 

Zack had noticed that Cloud was starting to lose sleep for some reason and talked to him about it once before Cloud showed up unannounced one night, poorly hiding that he was sweating and sobbing. Zack had seen these types of nightmares before, but only in the infantrymen that had fought in wars like the one with Wutai. They described reliving the deaths of those fighting alongside them, of atrocities they had witnessed or done. He wondered what Cloud had nightmares about. He didn’t think that he’d had much field experience outside of Midgar. 

Nonetheless, Zack didn’t push him. It could also just be the stress from being a relatively new infantryman, he thought. Maybe he just needed someone to listen, someone to comfort him. Both things that were frowned upon by those enlisted in the Shinra military. 

The new infantrymen kept getting recruited at younger and younger ages. Zack had his doubts when it came to Cloud’s ability to succeed in the military. In fact, he’d been rejected from SOLDIER because of his lack of confidence, at least that’s what was in his file. Sometimes, Zack was afraid for him, afraid that he would struggle without the support that he obviously needed. 

Zack snapped out of his thoughts as he heard the teapot whistling. He walked back into the room, two mugs in hand, and handed one to Cloud. Cloud held it in his hand, staring blankly into it. 

“Cloud, you okay?” He gently prodded.  
“No, I’m not.” Cloud broke down and began to sob.  
Zack rushed to grab the mug from him and placed it on the table. He wrapped his arm around Cloud, pulling him close to him, letting him curl up and sob into his chest. Zack let him cry until he seemed to catch his breath and sit up a bit. For a minute, Zack’s glowing mako infused eyes caught Cloud’s deep blue gaze. 

“Something happened, Zack,” Cloud began, “Remember in Nibelheim, when Sephiroth was there?”  
“Yeah,” Zack paused for a moment before his eyes grew wide, “Did he do something?”.  
“He, we did stuff, together. I just don’t remember a lot really, it comes back in bits and pieces.”

Zack stopped and took in a deep breath, carefully considering what to say next.

“Cloud, you were only like 15. He’s 25.”  
“I know.”  
“What he did, it’s not right, he should’ve never done anything like that to you.”  
Cloud looked down at the ground once more.  
“Zack, can I ask you something?” Cloud calmly murmured.  
“Yeah, anything.”  
“Do you think I’m gay?” 

It would be a lie to say that it had never crossed his mind. A lot of the other infantrymen teased Cloud about how feminine he was sometimes. It was just another thing Zack worried about. Some people might not be okay with Cloud’s feminine side. 

“Do you think you’re gay?” Zack replied.  
“I mean, I’ve only ever been with a guy.” Cloud mumbled.  
“Sephiroth, he doesn’t count, Cloud. What counts is how you feel. Sephiroth can never take away the way that you love, no matter who you decide to show that love to.”  
“Tifa, a girl back in Nibelheim, our parents always wanted us to get together. I just, I’m not into her, like that.”  
“That’s okay. You also don’t have to figure it all out now, you’re only 16. You’ve got time.”  
“Thanks, Zack.”

In that moment, Cloud’s head stopped spinning for the first time since everything with Sephiroth had happened. He felt a weight lifted off of his shoulders, he felt the freedom to be himself for once. It felt good.

Cloud woke up alone in his bed, the buster sword leaning against the wall next to him, in case he needed to be ready quickly. It wasn’t until he felt the SOLDIER first class uniform on him that he remembered. Zack was gone. Zack was gone forever. 

He sat up, tears welling up in his eyes. He was stronger than he was then, he could take care of himself now. He laid back down, his arms behind his head. Then, the man next to him laid his head on Cloud’s chest and wrapped his arms around Cloud’s body, begging him to go back to sleep. Cloud wrapped his arms around his boyfriend as he returned to his dreams.


End file.
